Folding stool.



F. SIMMONS.

FOLDING STOOL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11,1913.

Patented June 27, 1916.

PH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

FINN SIMMONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MEN'IS, TO THE'K & S FURNITURE COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLDING STOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patenfgd J 2'7 1gj 6 Application filed September 11, 1913. Serial No. 789,278.

lowing is a full, clear, and exact specification. I

This invention relates to a class of foldable furniture.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a folding stool wherein is employed a substantially crossshaped retaining post to which a plurality of legs are pivoted in a manner so as to be'adapted to be hingedly swung radially with respect to the retaining post when the stool is unfolded, or reversely swung toward each other when the stool is folded, and also to said retaining post is pivoted a corresponding number of standards, or supporting members 4 adapted to be hingedly swung upwardly in radial directions with relation to the post for maintaining a flexible seat thereon and which are adapted to be swung downwardly upon the legs when the stool is folded to gcther, each of said standards having a groove longltudinally thereof for reception of one'of the legs whereby a compact parcel may be formed to permit the stool to be readily carried by a person from place to place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible seat adapted to be removably applied upon the standards, and which is of a form to permit the seat to serve as a casing for holding the parts of the stool when folded. V

A further object of the invention is to provide 'a stool which is susceptible of being made preferably of sheet metal so as to be very light in weight as well as combining great strength and durability.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, the said invention being more fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claim at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of folding stool embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section taken through the center of the chair. Fig. 3 is an en larged sideelevation showing the stool when folded. F 1g. 4 is a top plan of the stool when folded showing the flexible detachable seat when wrapped therearound to serve as a caslng, and Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the flexible seat of the stool.

The folding stool has a retaining post 10 prov ded with a body portion 11, and extending radially from the body portion in the type of a cross are four lugs, or ears 12, 13, 1-1, 15, all of which may be of suitable heights. Guided through an opening provided transversely in the lower parts of each of the lugs12, 13, 14, 15 is a pin, or bolt, as

16 all being of suliicient lengths to extend a sl ght distance laterally beyond the side surfaces of the lugs, and upon said bolts are pivoted the upper ends of four legs, as 17,

All of thelegs, 17, 18, 19, 20 are similar in formation, and each of these legs is made preferably of sheet metal which is bent in substantially the shape of an inverted U, as viewed transversely, to provide two depending flanges 21 and 22, and

a bridgingstrip 23 longitudinally thereof, whereby the legs may be light in weight, but may be of the requiredstrength. The upper, end portions of the legs 17,18, 19, 20 are slightly curved, as at 24, and the parts of the flanges 21 and 22 at these curved portions are pivotally held upon the bolts .16 so that the curved portions of the legs are disposed in straddle arrangement upon the lugs. In this manner the legs ,17, 18, 19, 20 are adapted to be hingedly swung outwardly in radial directions with respect to l the retaining post 10 when the stool is un folded, and by pivoting the legs to the lower parts of the lugs of the retaining post, the upper edges of the bridging strips 23 of the legs will abut against the lugs so as to serve for limiting the outward movement of the legs when the stool is in use. Also pivoted to the bolts 16 of the lugs of the retaining post 1 0 are the lower ends of four standards, or supporting members 25, 26, 27, 28, all of which are similarly formed; Each of the standards 25, 26, 27, 28 is'p'referably made of sheet metal which is bent length- 'wise in approximately the shape of an inverted U, as viewed transversely, to provide two depending flanges 29 and 30, and

a. bridging strip 31 longitudinally thereof. A groove 32 is thereby provided longitudinally of the underside of each standard, and all of said standards are made of sufficient widths so that each leg of the stool will be received in one of the grooves of the standards when the stool is folded together. The lower end portions of the bridging strips 31 are somewhat shorter in length than the flanges 29 and 30 of the standards so as to provide the flanges of each standard with two spaced ears, or extensions, as 33 and 34:. The ears 33 and 34 of each standard are pivotally held upon one of the bolts 16 'so that the curved end 24 of each leg extends therebetween. The standards will thereby be also disposed in straddle arrangement upon the lugs of the retaining post 10. lVhen the stool is unfolded for use the standards 25, 26, 27, 28 are hingedly swung upwardly in radial directions with relation to the retaining post 10, and the lower free end of the bridging strip 31 of each standard will rest against the curved end of the leg disposed between the ears of the standard so as to limit the upward movement of the legs.

In conjunction with the stool, I provide a separate seat, as 35, which may be of can vas, or other flexible material, and may serve as a covering for parts of the stool when not in use. The seat 35 is substantially square, and upon the corners of the seat are provided books, as 36, 37, 38, 39, and these hooks are preferably made of metal. lVhen the standards 25, 26, 27, 28 and the legs 17, 18, 19,. 20 are adjusted for using the stool, as above described, the seat is applied upon the upper ends of the standards so that hooks 36, 37, 38, 39 may be guided over and into engagement with the free ends of the bridging strips 31 of the standards. To fold the stool the seat is detached from the standards by removing scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A folding stool, consisting of a post with four quadrangular lugs extending radially.

at right angles therefrom, four corre sponding legs of inverted U-shapes in crosssection each having its upper portion pivoted to one of the lugs in straddle arrangement so that all of the legs may be swung inwardly and outwardly relatively to the vertical center of the post, and the upper end of each leg above its pivot being rounded and bent outwardly at an obtuse angle for the intermediate part of the bent portion to contact with the lug whereby the outward movement of the legs will be limited, four similar standards of inverted U-shapes in cross-section each with its lower portion pivoted to one of the lugs in straddle arrangement on one of the legs and the intermediate part of the pivoted portion of each standard being cutaway so that the standards may be swung radially upward above the post as well as to and from overlapping positions on the standards, and :1 flexible seat with four quadrangularly arranged hooks for being removably guided over the upper ends of the standards when swung above the post.

This specification signed and witnessed this tenth day of September, A. D. 1913.

FINN SIMMONS. lVitnesses Rom. B. ABBOTT, M. DERMODY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

